Droid Life » Neptune Pinehttp://www.droid-life.com
An intense Android news community bringing you the latest in phones, rooting, apps, and reviews.Sat, 01 Aug 2015 18:19:40 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Neptune Duo Actually Introduces an Interesting Concept, But Still Misseshttp://www.droid-life.com/2015/02/17/neptune-duo-actually-introduces-an-interesting-concept-but-still-misses/
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/02/17/neptune-duo-actually-introduces-an-interesting-concept-but-still-misses/#commentsTue, 17 Feb 2015 23:40:24 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=161695Neptune Duo Actually Introduces an Interesting Concept, But Still Misses is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Announced this morning, the Neptune Duo is an Android “Lollipop” powered product that is made up of two parts – a large, smart cuff-like wearable (it’s not a watch) that wants to be your primary device known as the Hub, paired with a dumb, secondary display with little insides, known as a Pocket screen. Together, they will try to bring you the best of both (wearable and traditional phone) smart worlds. I’d call the Neptune Duo “interesting,” but I don’t know that I can in its current form. Let me explain.

On your wrist, you have a smart cuff-like design with display, quad-core processor, 4G connectivity, WiFi, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth, and almost any other technology that would typically be found in a phone. With the Pocket screen, you have a shell that looks like a traditional smartphone, along with dual cameras, but is instead used as an interface for your Hub. In the words of its creator, “It’s not very smart.”

You can use the Hub to make calls, send messages, stay connected with social networks, track fitness, and much more, without ever having to use a phone. Should you need more screen real estate or two hands, you can pull out your Pocket screen to get busy, just like you would on a phone. The Neptune Duo, with the Hub as the brains behind the experience, can be paired with any Pocket screen, even one that you don’t own. So say, you lose yours, but your friend has a Duo with them, you could quickly pair your Hub with your friend’s Pocket screen to then get some real work done.

All make sense?

So here is my problem with its current design. The wearable half of the Duo is a pretty terrible idea. No one – seriously, no one – wants to wear a giant smart-cuff on a daily basis, because interacting with a wearable as your main computing device in a curved form factor on your wrist is just not something anyone should have to experience. Ask Will.i.am how well his smart cuff idea is going. But, the idea of pairing a “hub” with any display nearby is something I could get behind.

Think about a computing device, with RAM, powerful processor, battery, Bluetooth, storage, wireless radio, etc. in some sort of a slim, easily pocketable package that didn’t have an interface at all. Instead, that “hub” could attach itself to a Pocket screen or your monitor or TV or any other display nearby to turn that into a smart device. Now, I know that there are current technologies that can beam things or cast things or mirror things to a display, but I’m talking a quick hot swap of your “hub” to any display.

Like what if you want your single “hub” to be a tablet right now. You could pair it to a dumb display that is 8-inches. Or maybe you are leaving home, so you could then pair with a 5-inch Pocket screen to use as your phone. Or then you enter your car, which also has a display that can be paired to. The thought is that you have a single computing device, with all of your apps, settings, contacts, and setup with you at all times that can be used with any size display at any time. Could be cool, right?

Anyways, I know that just took away from the Neptune Duo, but it all came rushing through my fingertips as I was typing through this product.

So back on the Neptune Duo. It’s creators, who also made Tim’s favorite watch of all time (/s), the Neptune Pine (our unboxing), are feeling out the potential here and have created a website to gauge interest. You can either reserve one without having to cough up any money at this time, but will have to fork out $798 if the product ever becomes a reality. Or, you could pledge $200 now, and pay just $399 extra later.

Hit up the source link below to see more images and show your level of interest.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2015/02/17/neptune-duo-actually-introduces-an-interesting-concept-but-still-misses/feed/44Neptune Pine Unboxing and Hands-onhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/09/05/neptune-pine-unboxing-and-hands-on/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/09/05/neptune-pine-unboxing-and-hands-on/#commentsFri, 05 Sep 2014 21:27:44 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=149529Neptune Pine Unboxing and Hands-on is a post from: Droid Life
]]>If you happen to follow DL or myself on Twitter, then you might have seen this post coming. After more than a year, Neptune’s vision for a smartwatch, the Neptune Pine, is finally in our possession.

After receiving a healthy amount of funding on Kickstarter, the Pine is now rolling out to backers all across the country, and we have been fortunate enough to score one for review purposes.

If you are unfamiliar, Pine is a completely standalone device, capable of full function without the need for pairing with your smartphone. Thanks to its built-in cellular radios, the Pine is able to connect to 3G and HSPA+ GSM networks, running a full build of Android 4.1. It has access to Google Play, and is best summed up by calling it a complete smartphone experience, condensed to fit on your wrist.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/09/05/neptune-pine-unboxing-and-hands-on/feed/118Neptune Pine Smartwatches Being Shipped Out to Kickstarter Backershttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/06/neptune-pine-smartwatches-being-shipped-out-to-kickstarter-backers/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/06/neptune-pine-smartwatches-being-shipped-out-to-kickstarter-backers/#commentsWed, 06 Aug 2014 15:48:12 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=147187Neptune Pine Smartwatches Being Shipped Out to Kickstarter Backers is a post from: Droid Life
]]>The first batch of Kickstarter backers for the Neptune Pine smartwatch are about to receive their devices. After what feels like years, the Pine, which we thought looked pretty great when it was first revealed, is much more than a dependent watch on your wrist. Unlike Android Wear, it features data connectivity on its own, meaning its basically a condensed smartphone on your wrist.

MONTREAL – Aug. 6, 2014 – Neptune is excited to announce that the first round of Pine smartwatches have been shipped to Kickstarter backers. After its massive campaign success, with over 2,800 backers and $800,000 pledged, Neptune is thrilled to be delivering a high quality product that combines untethered connectivity and superior design to create a new way of interacting with technology and each other.

The Neptune Pine is the world’s first independent smartwatch. The Pine allows users to make and receive phone calls and text messages, shoot video and take pictures, check email, browse the web, play music or games, and more – all without the presence of a smartphone.

The Pine is also an extremely powerful fitness tracker, with built-in GPS, pedometer, and a compass. When used with an app, it can track steps, pace, time, laps, and calories burned. Additionally, the Pine handset can be attached to mounts or other accessories where it becomes a wearable, point-of-view (POV) video camera, shooting in 720p HD video with its rear-facing 5-megapixel camera.

“The Pine smartwatch combines the functionality of multiple devices into one device on your wrist,” says Simon Tian, Founder and CEO of Neptune. “After months of perfecting the Pine, we are excited to bring to market a product that truly provides users a new and simplified way to connect with each other.”

The Pine features a removable, full-color 2.4 inch capacitive touch screen with full QWERTY keyboard for a truly “smart” experience. The Android-supported smartwatch has memory storage of up to 32GB to ensure users can store hundreds of apps, music and photos. The front and rear facing camera with LED flash gives users the freedom to take images from any angle and to video chat easily anytime, anywhere.

The second batch of Neptune Pine smartwatches will be delivered to Kickstarter backers by November 2014.

Non-Kickstarter backers can also pre-order the Pine for USD$349 for a 16GB version or USD$449 for a 32GB version at getneptune.com. Those orders are set to ship by Q4 2014.

The Neptune Pine, a smartwatch first unveiled many months ago, has now landed on Kickstarter. You may recall, the device was already up for pre-order back in August, starting at $335 a unit. Well, the company is looking to leverage crowd funding to raise $100K to help mass production costs, a goal they say is within reach.

As a refresher, what separates the Neptune Pine from other smartwatch models is its ability to run full Android apps, not tweaked versions that you would see running on Galaxy Gear or Pebble. This is an all-in-one, and is a full standalone device that does not need a constant Bluetooth connection to a smartphone. In essence, when you leave the house every morning, the only thing you will need to take with you is the Pine. It’s an interesting device, and we’re curious to see if there is any demand out there.

For a $199 backing, you can get a 16GB Jet Black pine, quite the deal compared to other offerings on the market. There are plenty of cheaper pledge offers as well, so go check out the Kickstarter page, then let us know if you decided to pledge.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/11/19/neptune-pine-smartwatch-hits-kickstarter-hoping-to-receive-100k-for-mass-production/feed/42Neptune Pine Smartwatch Goes Up For Pre-Order, Still the Watch of Dreamshttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/08/27/neptune-pine-smartwatch-goes-up-for-pre-order-still-the-watch-of-dreams/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/08/27/neptune-pine-smartwatch-goes-up-for-pre-order-still-the-watch-of-dreams/#commentsTue, 27 Aug 2013 16:49:01 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=118265Neptune Pine Smartwatch Goes Up For Pre-Order, Still the Watch of Dreams is a post from: Droid Life
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All the way back in February of this year, we wrote a piece on the Neptune Pine smartwatch. The watch is no ordinary smartwatch, but actually has the capability of replacing your smartphone almost entirely. It features full 2G/3G radios (no LTE), Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi connectivity options, allowing it to be a standalone device for communicating with the world.

The watch features a 2.4″ touchscreen display, with a resolution of 320 x 240, a Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, a back-facing 5MP camera (yes, a camera!), 512MB of RAM, while running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It is practically a full version of Android, with a keyboard, messaging apps, web browsing capabilities and pretty much anything else you would need. Like we said, you can basically leave your phone at home.

The device is now finally up for pre-orders, with the company making lots of revisions and fixes to that initial design we saw earlier this year. The previous renders looked nice, but gave off a futuristic concept look, not allowing our minds to really see it as a reality. With the watch now finalized, it looks sleek, sexy and totally awesome.

The watch is pretty expensive, so don’t be shocked when you are throwing down $335 for the 16GB version and $395 for the 32GB model. We told you it was expensive. Keep in mind that this is basically a smartphone you are strapping to your wrist. Sure, it probably can’t play Angry Birds or Grand Theft Auto, but the Neptune Pine looks like a great peak at the future of wearable technology.

Now this right here is a “smartwatch,” folks! Pictured above is the Neptune Pine. So, what makes this different from the Pebble and the Metawatch devices we have been checking out? Well, how about the fact that it’s running a semi-full version of the Android OS? And don’t forget that it is even packing full WiFi capabilities and 3G radios inside, which means it’s a device that can stand apart from your smartphone for all of its knowledge and functionality.

The device runs the Leaf OS, which is a derivative of Android, made specifically for the device. But what about that full color screen? It’s a 2.5″ 432 x 240 touchscreen, even capable of letting you send full texts and emails. It features a 800mAh battery and will come in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB storage options.

It’s still in the process of being made, but customers can already go ahead and reserve their pair. The watch starts at $335 for the 8GB option, but this is much more along the lines of a wearable Android computing device.